Environmental specialist Floyd Comer was the first to speak at the March 6 meeting and said the permits for wells and septic were in line with last year and were up for septic system repairs.

He also reported Jones County had its first-ever confirmed food-borne illness outbreak in January. He said it occurred at Lynn Haven Nursing Home.

Comer deferred to his supervisor, Carla Cooley, to give the details of the outbreak to the board. Cooley said, according to the epidemiologist’s report, the illness began Jan. 26 and it was estimated that 61 people were involved but 35 cases were documented. Of those 35, 26 were staff members, and the remaining nine cases were residents. The source was traced back to a food service worker, which is the reason it is categorized as a food-borne illness.

“This was not necessarily transferred by food but by food service workers,” she said.